The San Antonio Spurs and prominent guard De’Aaron Fox have come to terms on a four-year, $229 million maximum extension, according to his representation speaking with ESPN’s Shams Charania. Fox was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming summer and will now have a long-term agreement with the team that acquired him through a trade at the past February’s trade cutoff.
Fox, who is 27 years old, was qualified for a contract extension with the Sacramento Kings — his prior team — during the previous summer, but instead chose to forgo an extension that would have provided $165 million and three years to his existing, rookie-level maximum contract. Fox agreed to a five-year contract valued at $163 million in 2020, occurring weeks after Sacramento selected Tyrese Haliburton with the 12th selection in the 2020 NBA Draft.
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Fox participated in only 62 contests last season, attaining averages of 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds. Fox was involved in 17 games with the Spurs subsequent to the trade deadline and recorded an average of 19.7 points each game before undergoing an operation on his finger in mid-March which concluded his season.
With Fox securing a long-term commitment in San Antonio, the Spurs possess a competent on-court partner for their premier big man, Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs have not reached the playoffs in each of the past six campaigns. Even so, there is justifiable optimism that this upcoming year might signify the moment the team advances into the playoff landscape.
The Spurs experienced an upward shift during May’s draft selection process and employed the second overall choice to acquire point guard Dylan Harper. It’s quite plausible that with Fox and the current NBA Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle, already integrated into the lineup, Harper could potentially be utilized as a substitute player to commence his opening year as a professional. Nonetheless, the Spurs have a prominent guard secured for the foreseeable future, in addition to a prospective future star poised to develop.
